It is hard to separate the creation from the creator and in this moment we are excited to honor Andrew Levitt/Nina West as the 2017 Columbus Human Rights Campaign Equality Award recipient. Levitt has been a resident of the greater Columbus area since completing his degree at Denison University. His art and drag persona, Nina West, has been an unofficial spokeswoman and champion of Columbus’ local businesses, social entrepreneurs and, in this moment, most importantly a champion and fighter for the LGBTQ community, Nina’s genuine love and respect for this city has earned her an unprecedented number of fans in both the LGBTQ and straight ally communities.

In recent years Levitt has extended his reach beyond Columbus and Ohio by helping, as Nina West, to launch a national campaign called ‘On Fridays, We Wear Pink.’ The movement, in which LGBTQ individuals and their allies are encouraged to wear pink in solidarity toward equality–even to this day! To date, Levitt/West has helped raise over $1.5 million for local and national individuals, grassroots activists, and impacting organizations.

Andrew has given of his time to support not only the efforts of the Human Rights Campaign but also of the local Columbus community. The work he has done has not gone unnoticed by those around Columbus and the Nation. It is our hope that with this acknowledgment of his past, and future, work he, and the community, will understand the richness of his contributions.